Monster High’s Deuce Gorgon Goes Plush Doll

Parents tell your daughters: If you meet a guy who wears sunglasses — all the time — no matter how confident, charming, and likable he may be, avoid him.

Here is the problem with a guy in sunglasses. He can see your eyes, which evince your intentions and feelings, but you can’t see his. This gives him the upper hand in any situation, especially in the relationship department. Corey Hart admitted as much in his ‘80s hit “I Wear My Sunglasses at Night.” He’s insecure, terrified of commitment, and probably a psycho-stalker.

Now there are a couple of circumstances under which it might be forgivable to wear shades all the time. Say, when a person is photosensitive, and the slightest sliver of light does serious damage to his optic nerves. I mean, Edgar and Johnny Winter looks like white-haired bad boys with their sunglasses on, but albinism requires eye protection. Dig?

The second somewhat-forgivable reason for wearing sunglasses all the time is to protect others from one’s monster-like powers, thus serving an altruistic, socially conscious purpose. This is the category under which Monster High student Deuce Gorgon falls. Like all Monster High students, Deuce is, well, a monster. The son of Medusa, Deuce has snakes for hair and is in a rock band. He wears sunglasses – all the time — to prevent himself from turning people to stone. Unlike his mom, however, Deuce’s spell is only temporary, but regardless of how short, time spent as a concrete statue can’t be pleasant. So he does his best to curb the unpleasantness for his fellow classmates.

The Monster High franchise has taken off of late, capitalizing on goth themes and the sense of belonging outcasts feel when they bond. Monster High, the epitome of geek culture, makes crystal clear how empowered geeky kids become when allowed to flourish under their own terms. The students at MHS are in constant conflict with the Normies — “Norms” is how they refer to their suburban, very square counterparts – and the fact that they have a place to congregate, to be themselves, is their saving grace.

Couple this positive message with a soundtrack full of heavy pop rock songs (check out the DVD series for the tunes), layers of young-person problems – lost cell phones, fashion disasters, heartbreak in the cafeteria – and a wonderfully macabre sensibility, and Monster High is a goldmine for geeks.

Though the big money maker in the Monster High franchise is the articulated, plastic dolls, the plush doll series (reminiscent of Ugly Dolls) is just as cool – and a lot cuddlier. Deuce Gorgon’s plush doll is adorable, a softer (both literally and figuratively) version of his real-life self. His green-yarn snakes, button eyes and skull T-shirt are cute as heck. He even has a cassette tape belt buckle. Deuce comes with his two-tailed pet rat, Perseus. He’s got an ear ring and a visible fang, the perfect companion to a guy who turns people to stone.